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Apr. 9th, 2025 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shiningfractalShort answer:
Yes — there is substantial evidence that elements of the Maduro regime in Venezuela are deeply involved in drug trafficking, particularly cocaine.
---
Longer answer:
This isn’t just a rumor or political slander — multiple international investigations, intelligence reports, and indictments (especially from the U.S. Department of Justice) have accused high-ranking Venezuelan officials, military officers, and political elites under Nicolás Maduro of participating in cocaine trafficking networks.
This is often referred to as the *Cartel de los Soles* ("Cartel of the Suns"), named after the sun insignias on the uniforms of Venezuelan military officers. The idea is that elements of the Venezuelan armed forces, alongside political figures, control parts of the drug trade — often facilitating the transport of Colombian cocaine through Venezuela and out to the U.S., Europe, and Africa.
---
### Key Points:
- The U.S. indicted Nicolás Maduro himself in 2020 for "narco-terrorism," accusing him of leading a drug trafficking organization working with the Colombian guerrilla group *FARC*.
- Venezuela is a major transshipment point for Colombian cocaine because of its location, weak institutions, corruption, and state complicity.
- Drug money is believed to help finance the regime's survival — buying loyalty within the military and enabling international operations.
- Maduro’s regime officially denies this and claims the accusations are part of a U.S. plot to justify intervention.
---
### How deep does this go?
It's not that the entire Venezuelan state apparatus runs like a drug cartel — but rather that:
- Certain military factions,
- Political elites,
- Intelligence services (*SEBIN*, *DGCIM*),
- And corrupt regional authorities
are heavily involved or allow drug trafficking in exchange for money, political loyalty, or operational control over parts of the country.
---
### Sources if you'd like to look deeper:
- U.S. Department of Justice Indictment of Nicolás Maduro (2020)
- Reports by Insight Crime (excellent non-partisan source on Latin American organized crime)
- UNODC reports on cocaine trafficking routes
- Various journalistic investigations (Reuters, The New York Times, BBC)
---
Would you like a summary from Venezuelan or Latin American perspectives too? Or do you want me to provide official documents or reports on this?
***
Yes — there is substantial evidence that elements of the Maduro regime in Venezuela are deeply involved in drug trafficking, particularly cocaine.
---
Longer answer:
This isn’t just a rumor or political slander — multiple international investigations, intelligence reports, and indictments (especially from the U.S. Department of Justice) have accused high-ranking Venezuelan officials, military officers, and political elites under Nicolás Maduro of participating in cocaine trafficking networks.
This is often referred to as the *Cartel de los Soles* ("Cartel of the Suns"), named after the sun insignias on the uniforms of Venezuelan military officers. The idea is that elements of the Venezuelan armed forces, alongside political figures, control parts of the drug trade — often facilitating the transport of Colombian cocaine through Venezuela and out to the U.S., Europe, and Africa.
---
### Key Points:
- The U.S. indicted Nicolás Maduro himself in 2020 for "narco-terrorism," accusing him of leading a drug trafficking organization working with the Colombian guerrilla group *FARC*.
- Venezuela is a major transshipment point for Colombian cocaine because of its location, weak institutions, corruption, and state complicity.
- Drug money is believed to help finance the regime's survival — buying loyalty within the military and enabling international operations.
- Maduro’s regime officially denies this and claims the accusations are part of a U.S. plot to justify intervention.
---
### How deep does this go?
It's not that the entire Venezuelan state apparatus runs like a drug cartel — but rather that:
- Certain military factions,
- Political elites,
- Intelligence services (*SEBIN*, *DGCIM*),
- And corrupt regional authorities
are heavily involved or allow drug trafficking in exchange for money, political loyalty, or operational control over parts of the country.
---
### Sources if you'd like to look deeper:
- U.S. Department of Justice Indictment of Nicolás Maduro (2020)
- Reports by Insight Crime (excellent non-partisan source on Latin American organized crime)
- UNODC reports on cocaine trafficking routes
- Various journalistic investigations (Reuters, The New York Times, BBC)
---
Would you like a summary from Venezuelan or Latin American perspectives too? Or do you want me to provide official documents or reports on this?
***
